ASCEND Mental Wellness

Our Principles

• We will operate in an inclusive, person-centered manner with respect for the individual’s rights to self-determination and self-expression.
• We will work in active partnership with individuals, families, and other agencies and organizations.
• We will provide services and develop environments that help mediate stress by improving the quality of life for people in the community through meaningful treatment and community support programs.
• We will work to remove barriers while expanding the resources and opportunities available to individuals for personal development and growth.
• We will promote and advocate for the importance of mental health and wellness in the community, including government leaders.

Care Management

Care Management acts as a “unifier” in the mental health care system by linking young people and adults to services specific to their needs. Support is tailor-made, matching community programs to each individual. By integrating and personalizing services, care is intended to provide a solid building block for an individual’s development towards self-reliance and self-improvement.

• Adult Care Management: Adult Care Managers provide enhanced coordination of services, personalized for each individual’s health and social needs. This includes linkage to behavioral health, medical care, and community resources, as well as advocacy to address any barriers to recovery.
• Youth Care Management: Youth Care Managers help children and families with assessing needs and accessing resources to support healthy living and learning. Youth Care Managers work directly with each child and family to reach their individualized goals related to school, health, and overall wellbeing.

Restorative Residential Services

ASCEND’s Restorative Residential Program are houses and apartments where individuals with psychiatric disabilities live while developing skills needed for independence. Programs are designed to offer different levels of support to a person in their efforts to achieve his/her highest level of well-being, while reducing costly hospitalizations by providing caring and skilled intervention in times of crisis. Services promote a person’s capabilities through companionship, education, counseling, vocational training, and respite, and the duration of each person’s stay is based on their individual needs. These programs are available to those individuals who are of 18 years of age or older.

Community Residences: Genesis and Pearl Street: Genesis and Pearl Street residences offer a group home environment which provides a high level of support for people in the earliest stages of recovery. The overall goal is to provide short-term, focused skill development in a home-like setting. The first step in treatment is defining and developing a rehabilitation plan which aids a person’s movement to the next stage in their recovery. This individualized, highly detailed plan clarifies needs, charts a course of action and provides the framework to evaluate progress. Services available to residents include crisis intervention, rehabilitation counseling, social and living skills development (money management, personal hygiene, food preparation, meal planning, recreation activities, etc.), symptom and medication management, community integration and resource development.

Community Living Apartments & Satellite: The Community Living Apartments Program offers two types of living arrangements: Maple Street and Satellite apartments. Both include support and guidance through individualized service plans created in partnership with the service recipient.

Services are a continuation and expansion of those services provided in the Community Residences and carry the ultimate goal of achieving an independent, successful life for each resident. Residents learn more about managing symptoms through medication and therapy, improving daily living skills, pursuing educations, vocational and employment goals, solving transportation needs, and increasing their comfort with broader social interaction. Staff meet with recipients from one to seven days each week to provide direct services and supportive counseling.

Maple Street is a single-site apartment building with nine units and 24 hour staffing. Residents maintain separate addresses and telephone numbers, and take responsibility for the upkeep of their living space.

Satellite Apartments, the most independent living level, uses individual apartments throughout the community that are leased by ASCEND. Staff provides services through regular visits and an On-Call system is utilized in case of an emergency.

Supportive Residential Services

Supportive Housing helps individuals ready to leave psychiatric centers or community residence programs, as well as homeless people with psychiatric disorders, in finding quality, permanent and independent housing for themselves. The priority of this housing model is to provide stable housing in an empowering, supportive environment with the goals of increasing residential stability, enhancing tenant skills and fostering greater self-determination.

Scattered Site Supported Housing: Supported Housing helps those individuals ready to leave psychiatric centers or community residence programs, as well as homeless people with psychiatric disorders, in finding quality, permanent and independent housing for themselves. A person is assisted in locating and moving into a new home by finding the location, evaluating a lease, selecting furniture, etc., all while receiving financial assistance throughout the process based on the individual’s needs. After having settled into a new home, clients regularly work with the ASCEND Supported Housing staff to maintain stable living in the community.

Housing First: Housing First provides safe, affordable, permanent housing for 18 individuals with histories of being homeless as well as being disabled by mental illness and/or substance abuse. The priority of this housing model is to provide stable housing in an empowering, supportive environment with the goals of increasing residential stability, enhancing tenant skills and fostering greater self-determination. The program consists of 12 one bedroom and 6 studio apartments, a community area and a large fenced in yard.

Cooper Street: Cooper Street Apartments provide safe, affordable, permanent housing for individuals who are homeless. There are 29 units total, 14 of which are for people dealing with mental illness, 4 units allocated for survivors of domestic violence, 6 units for chronic homeless and 4 family units. Referrals are made through coordinated entry.

Interim Room: Interim Room provides individuals who are homeless with temporary housing in a 12-bed apartment unit located at 50 Cooper Street. The interim unit consists of 6 bedrooms that can hold 2 guests at a time. There are 3 shared bathrooms. All guests share a common kitchen, living room and laundry room. As of right now all intakes for our interim room have to be single-male adults.

Outreach/LEAMHRS: ASCEND’s Outreach Program focuses on individuals within the community who need support and guidance. Our goal is to connect with these individuals and to see what his or her needs are to connect them to the right services. As of right now our focus is on forensic and criminal justice involved folks (LEAMHRS). LEAMHRS – Law Enforcement Addiction & Mental Health Referral System LEAMHRS is an new outreach program that allows police departments to refer individuals to an outreach specialist for assistance in obtaining the appropriate services. ASCEND works with Glens Falls Police Department, Hudson Falls Police Department, Warren and Washington County Sheriff’s Offices, Warren and Washington County Jails, Warren County DSS, and Warren and Washington County Probation Offices.

Caleo Counseling

Caleo Counseling Services, the outpatient clinic of ASCEND for clinical services, strives to provide therapy and medication evaluation and management if necessary, in a warm and professional atmosphere. Services are available for children, adolescents, adults, and families living in Warren, Washington and Northern Saratoga Counties.

Support Services

Support Services focus on supporting and enhancing recovery and wellness by offering a variety of opportunities in a flexible, person-centered manner. There is no charge for services, which are completely voluntary and based on individual goals and preferences.

East Side Center: Adult psychiatric rehabilitation program which supports personal growth and wellness through social, recreational, creative, learning, volunteerism, employment, and community participation opportunities.

Dual Recovery: Offers individual and group support to adults who are recovering from mental health and substance use disorders. Dual Recovery utilizes peer support, empowerment, and recovery activities to support the individual, while also working on a larger scale in the community to move toward a more integrated system of care.

Peer Support Services: As peers of ASCEND our mission is to offer hope as we walk alongside those with mental health challenges and/or substance use disorder–to support and journey with them as they are encouraged to make positive changes and move toward the light of health, wellness, and wholeness.

Wellness Garden: Wellness Garden provides a green space for ASCEND members to participate in therapeutic gardening. Allows members to focus their attention on the immediate tasks and details of gardening.